On Gun Violence

I suppose I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the VT shootings. I have two major thoughts. The first is obviously intense sympathy and sadness. I was reading articles about it today, particularly one about the Holocaust survivor who died saving his students, and I was very sad. I'm also sad because in a tragedy such as this, it seems as though there were clear warning signs, and many people at VT (including poet Nikki Giovanni) tried to take steps to help this clearly troubled young man, but it was not enough. I cannot imagine what drives someone to commit such atrocities. Also, 178 people were killed in Baghdad today, 178 people who were husbands, wives, children, sisters, brothers, friends, mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles. There will probably be no convocations or candlelight vigils in their honor.

The second thought was about the nature of gun rights in America today. The NRA was just in town this past weekend, so I was already thinking about it. I am ambiguous in my thoughts on gun control. I come from a hunting family. We have crazy dead animals in our house (although Kim, after years of struggle, has removed them from any common area where the general public might be exposed to them). I grew up around guns. I even took a class in high school (forensic pathology) where we got to shoot handguns at the shooting range. I am aware that people have reason such as hunting to own guns, and most of those people do so responsible. My brothers (Andrew is still an avid hunter, Jake, not so much) learned gun safety at an early age, and my dad's guns were always locked up in an insanely huge gun safe.

That being said, I do not understand people who passionately defend the 2nd Amendment. The purpose of guns is to wound or kill living creatures. If you are not a hunter, I do not understand having firearms in your house. If it is properly stored, what are the chances that if someone breaks into your house, you will be able to unlock your gun, load it, and fire it before the burglar rapes and kills you? If it is not properly stored, well, have you ever seen motherfucking 90210? Kids will find that shit and shoot each other accidentally, probably after smoking weed. Just kidding, but for real, accidental shootings happen.

Some may make the argument that guns don't kill people, people kill people. That's true, but it is a whole lot easier if said people have guns. You don't see some socially-tortured trench-coat-mafia kid committing mass murder with a garotte. It's just not happening. Another argument against gun control is that criminals will continue to get guns, so laws restricting their criminal use are futile. If this reasoning is correct, then why do we have laws restricting anything? For example, drugs. Anyone can get drugs. My kids say it's easier to get weed than alcohol if you are in high school. But we do have drug laws, some more pervasive than many would like. As it stands, anyone can just walk into a gun store and, provided they pass a less-than-rigorous background check and wait a prescribed period of time, buy a device whose sole purpose is to severely wound and or kill a living being with minimal effort. It seems to me that if it was more difficult for the average citizen to get a gun, that would make it more difficult for the average criminal to get a gun because there would be less guns out there. I'm not talking about Tony Soprano here. But for random aspiring petty criminal, it would be more difficult. Is that not a good thing?

Would a thirty-day waiting period have prevented the VT tragedy?

Morning Cheer

This week's sign that the apocalypse is upon us. Censorship is alive and well.

I hope you don't have anything to do

Because this? Is going to prevent me from grading tomorrow while I'm giving the MAP test. And I'll be all stressed out.

Hurdy Gurdys, Porkpie Hats, and Assholes

Briefly--

*Saw a really amazing Decemberists show last night at the Pageant, with our friends the Dandos (check out Mike's most excellent music blog for pics) and Emily and Meghan. This will prompt a future blog entry on proper concert manners.

I'm currently enjoying the following--
* The new Bright Eyes CD
* Small pieces of asiago cheese from Viviano's
* The green issue of Outside Magazine
* Skype
* The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman. Yes, it is as shitty and cheesy as the title leads you to believe it is. Sports Gal is recapping.

By the way...

If you aren't reading Chris's blog, you should be.

Weekend Activism

Stumble It!

Nationwide climate change rallies are taking place on Saturday. Check it out at Step It Up's website. I'll be at the one at Wash U at 12; Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, who is my editor at Green Options, will be speaking.

I'll follow that up with a little Decemberists action at the Pageant. I'm stoked for what will be an usual show, to say the least.

Sunday, Team Awesome takes on Tower Pub in a highly-anticipated SKA league match.

And finally, congratulations to our friends Michelle and Josh, who finally popped out their first shorty, Ansley Corliss, on Wednesday. Baby mama and baby are doing awesome.

Take the Crazy Elsewhere, We're All Stocked Up Here...

Stumble It!

Big ups to the ouster of Veronica O'Brien as SLPS School Board President. Although she remains on the board, she will no longer be the de facto spokesperson for them, and it wouldn't surprise me if she doesn't do shit for the rest of her tenure on the board. Not that the damage hasn't already been done, but with a new 5-2 majority, it seems as though this board will proceed cohesively toward making real progress in the district, even if the takeover proceeds. For a poignant video retrospective of O'Brien's reign as resident insane public official, check out Pub Def's collection here.

Saving the World

Stumble It!

One of the benefits of not having cable is that when you are flipping channels aimlessly, the chances of you ending up on PBS and watching something quality are exponentially increased. This happened last night. Actually, I wasn't flipping, I was looking for this documentary about coffee, but I guess I missed it or saw the wrong time and ended up watching Frontline. The first segment was about Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, which was interesting. The second segment was totally amazing: it featured a San Francisco-based non-profit called Kiva, which focuses on microfinance in developing countries. What's microfinance? In a nutshell, small loans (as small as $50) given to potential entrepreneurers in developing countries. These small loans enable people, who would normally have problems getting loans from traditional sources, to start businesses to create steady income to support themselves and their families (see more extensive info here). Kiva is an online network that allows random dude at your computer wherever to, using Pay Pal's simple transaction system, finance microloans to people whose business plans have been preapproved by Kiva's field partners, people who work with those who use the loans. On Kiva's website, you can see what people are seeking loans for and choose who you loan money to (amounts as little as $25), and you can read updates about how people's business plans are working out. So far, Kiva has had a 100% repayment rate for loans.

The idea of this is so empowering to me. If I just have $50 laying around that I could put into savings or spend on something stupid (or donate to a non-profit), I can instead loan it to someone, hopefully make a significant impact on someone's life, with no real loss to me. I get my money back. Check out their website if you are looking to do some good with a little extra cash.

Food....Mmmm food.

Stumble It!

Today's Green Options post gives tips for beginners to shopping at Farmers' Markets. The markets are starting to open, and I love, love, love Saturday mornings at the Tower Grove Market, among others. Like I said in the article, your food choices impact the environment as much as your driving habits, and there's no more pleasurable way to "save the earth" than eating amazing local produce.

For those of you in Des Moines, I can't say enough good things about the Downtown Farmers Markets. My parents and I used to go, buy food, and then have bloody marys at the Royal Mile. That's a fine Saturday morning.

For those in St Louis, I personally really love the Tower Grove Market. It is supposedly bigger this year when it opens on May 12th. Hartford is there making smoothies and brewing coffee, there's always yoga classes, you can get bread, eggs, meat, and amazing produce. It's a great community event to support on Saturday mornings.

I also frequent the Schlafly market on Wednesdays, since it's right on my way home from work. It's smaller, but less crowded.

Soulard is a low-cost option, but if you're going for local, most of their vendors aren't, but I still like to go there to get Black Bear Bakery stuff, maybe some fresh pasta, and other things I might not be able to find at the other markets. It's a great atmosphere, but just not completely local.

There's also the Clayton market, the Kirkwood market, which I've been to a few times and would go more often if it were closer, one in Ferg-Flor, and the Green Market in the CWE.

Another great thing about farmers' markets is that the offerings change from week to week depending on the harvest, so each week is different. I urge you to check some of these community resources out.

It's Dr, Not Mrs, Bitches

Hooray! I found out last night that I got into the doctoral program I applied for. The deets: it's at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, and the doctorate in in Leadership, which sounds pretty vague. I initially applied for a program in critical pedagogy, which is social justice and education, basically, but UST has combined the two programs. I'll initally be studying leadership in the contexts of history, society, the economy, and politics, and then eventually, what leadership and education has to do with social justice. I want to research urban public education and/or race and teaching. So, for the next three years, I'll be flying to Minneapolis once a month and spending time there every summer attending classes. I will be poorer. I will be cutting back on my extra stuff at school. And, like certain other people who shall remain nameless (mostly Susan Jacobsmeyer and Alice Colletti) I will have to bitch out every now and again because I have to write a paper.

So yeah, I'm excited, and it's going to be a pretty big committment, but I figured if Susan is going to be Dr. Jacobsmeyer, then I had better do something before she gets all uppity.

That's the good word. I'm sure cocktails will be in order tonight.

So what's the other 50%?

Stumble It!

Actual sentence from a student paper I read today:

"There is about a fifty percent chance that you could or could not get pregnant."

Musings on our Earth

Stumble It!

So what had happened was Chris and I drove to Minneapolis for an interview I had with a doctoral program. No, I'm not moving to Minneapolis. I don't know if I'll get in. I don't find out until next week. Signs that look good: if you are applying to a program in critical pedagogy, it's probably a good idea to know how to pronounce the word pedagogy. I knew this. Many did not. Nor did another woman know how to pronounce the word "wholly", choosing instead to say it as "wally". Ma'am, the "w" is silent. If you want to add "Dr" to the front of your name, basic reading skills are a prerequisite. I find out next Thursday.

Since we spent a substantial amount of time in the car, we also got to listen to a lot of the radio. Things I learned: Rush Limbaugh apparently believes that if the government forces you to use compact florescent light bulbs (which, why would you want to use a CFL, since they end up saving you three times the cost of the bulb? Why would you want to use something that saves money and produces less fossil fuel emissions? God, I HAVE MY RIGHTS, AND THAT INCLUDES DESPERATELY CLINGING ONTO OUTDATED, INEFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY. And owning semi-automatic rifles) then they will ultimately make you give up your air conditioners, and CFLs won't really help save the environment, because you only use them at night. Huh? What? Also, installing CFLs will probably bankrupt senior citizens and the impoverished, two groups that Limbaugh is ALWAYS looking out for. God, thanks, Rush. It seems like my whole life has been a lie... No really, this is really what he said.

Also, in related awesome ignorance, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas, of course) the leading Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in an interview that global warming will actually help people in Russia (his example, not mine) and cold climates because they'll have a longer growing season. Uh, yeah, the densely-populated Arctic regions (who, by the way, have built their entire way of subsistence on the fact that it is COLD where they live) will benefit, so we should probably let the few people who live in coastal areas just...drift away? Is he for real? After hearing this, I realized that there are several elected officials at the national level who are just "that dude". Just like K-Fed was just "some dude" before he married Britney, these guys are no more intelligent, no more logical, no more informed, and certainly no more ethical than someone like Chris, or anyone I teach with, or pretty much any normal person I know, for that matter. One thing is for certain, there are a number of people who are blatantly trying to pull an Orwellian fast one on the American public. Don't get me started on Bush...

(And yes, I offset my ridiculous amount of driving. I'll be planting some trees, too, on Earth Day, so don't try to play the hypocrite card on me)

One bright spot: we seem to be hitting a tipping point as far as legislative action towards climate change: this is a major victory for the planet.

Also, poison ivy is a bitch. For real. I look like a fucking leper.

Heckuva Job, Sully

Stumble It!

Education is a hot topic in St Louis right now. If case you live in a cave, here's the recap: the St Louis Public School District was stripped of accreditation, the current board has basically been stripped of any power, and Gov. Blunt appointed a new CEO of the district. That CEO, the person who will supposedly lead the district out of its mire, is McBride Homes exec Rick Sullivan, whose prior educational leadership experience includes the boards at Lindenwood University and Villa Duchesne and "sitting in on some classes" at the SLPS.

I am not the only person who finds this completely appalling? It is audacious to suggest that a person appointed to lead a deeply-troubled school district have an extensive educational background? I'm not saying it should be a teacher--in fact, it probably shouldn't be, but it should be someone who has experience with educational leadership and administration. I don't think serving on a university board qualifies in this case--it's a very, very different experience to completely turnaround an urban district . Sullivan isn't even a St Louis resident: he lives in Frontenac. Proponents claim Sullivan is a tough businessman who will run the district like a company.

I'm reading Pedagogy of the Oppressed right now, so that's influencing my reflections, but this is classic oppressing behavior on the part of Blunt: his appointment of a marginally-qualified candidate who is not a member of the community he is seeking to change demonstrates that doesn't believe that a member of the community has the ability to lead the revolution. You're telling me that there's no highly-qualified candidate to lead the district that 1) lives in the district 2) is black, like over 80% of the students in the district? I find that highly, highly, highly hard to believe. Put it this way: Blunt's choice makes it look like the only person who can "save" the poor black kids is the rich white man. That's bullshit.

Look, Sullivan might be a well-intentioned guy. He's probably smart and well-intentioned. But this kind of cronyism will probably lead to disaster. Remember Brownie, who "did a heckuva job down there" during Katrina?

If you are a city-dweller who lives in the 4th District, I urge you to e-mail Jeff Smith and let him know that Sullivan sucks as the choice to lead the district. His e-mail is jeff.smith@senate.mo.gov. If you are not in the 4th District, you can check out the Senate website to find your senator to e-mail her/him and urge her/him to block Blunt's appointment of Sullivan.

Websites! Galore!

The writers at GreenOptions are all spending some (paid!) time this week checking out StumbleUpon. Basically, you install StumbleUpon, which is just an add-on to your web browser. It creates a browser toolbar which you can personalize. You register (it's all free) and go through several categories of interests, checking areas that you like, such as different genres of music, hobbies, politics, etc. Then, on your new toolbar, there is a button labeled Stumble! You click this button and a random website that should correlate to your interests appears. You then rate the website with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, which allows StumbleUpon to more finely tune what websites it generates for you. I know this sounds nerdy, but it is amazing how many awesome websites I have found today using StumbleUpon, from the quirky-whimsical-random (this, this) to the absolutely practical (this, this, this) to the I-can't-believe-something-like-this-is-FREE (see below). If you are an internet junkie, I would HIGHLY recommend you register for StumbleUpon. If you are a friend of mine, you probably won't see me soon; I'm hooked on this shit. Don't send me to Promises!

I realize the preceding paragraph sounds like I'm being paid to plug this site: I'm not, I promise. I'm getting paid to surf it to generate hits for our site. But it's an awesome site, for realsies. You will hate me for getting you hooked on it.

My most favorite site found today would have to be FineTune. It's basically Pandora but with more things you can do, including make playlists that you can add to your MySpace or blog. Very cool for music junkies who are into finding new music based on your current tastes.

Also, Chris and I went and saw Pan's Labyrinth. Really, one of the most amazing films I've ever seen. That's really all I can say about it. Also, I did get the Ben and Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream, thanks to a tip from Meghan that it was at the Target on Hampton. It is fucking awesome. Every single bite has crunchy goodness of almost-burned sugar getting stuck in your teeth.

The Last Dispatch

Warning: Passionate, Sappy Post Follows

If you read this blog, you know about my undying devotion to the band State Radio. Chad Urmston, the lead singer, was in Dispatch, arguably the most successful indie bands in music history. However, my experience with Dispatch is limited: a few downloaded songs during college and some car rides with my brother Jake. That didn't stop me from adding filmmaker Helmut Schleppi's documentary Last Dispatch to my Netflix queue. Last Dispatch covers the days leading up to Dispatch's last concert in 2004. After playing together for years, just when they were really making it big (due mostly to fiercely loyal fans, Napster, and hard work) the band broke up in 2002, despite the fact they were on the verge of commercial stardom, and walked away. Basically, they saw themselves become the cliche of ruined bands, and obviously didn't want to become a Behind the Music, so they stopped before it got to that point. They wanted to end on a high note, so they decided to play one last show, outdoors and free to all their fans. They expected between 10-30,000 people; they got 110,000.
I love documentaries, and the vast majority of them leave me in tears because they depress the hell out of me. Last Dispatch still left me in tears, but for good reasons. In this world of selling your soul for money and fame, it was so refreshing, so satisfying to see a group of musicians stay true to themselves and their music and not become pawns of some corporation, refusing to compromise themselves to sell more music, more merch, and more high-priced tickets. When the band finishes their set, thanks the endless sea of fans, and take their final bow, you could see how genuinely thankful and humbled they are by the devotion of their listeners and the fortune of their own situation. Even if you aren't into Dispatch's music, any music lover will enjoy this documentary.

One More Day

Here's a bit of awesomeness: getting sick on the last school day before spring break. My head is all congested, I'm starting to get a lump in my throat, and I still have soccer practice and a presentation at the board of education meeting tonight. Blah.

Real news on three fronts. Starting tomorrow, the writers at Green Options are in competition for bonuses (i.e. mo' money) for which posts can get the most unique hits. Each blog post is eligible for bonuses every pay period. Green Options is a really awesome website that's just getting started in terms of features readers can use to green their lives. We have content for super eco-freaks and for those just getting started. My column is every Tuesday and Thursday, with a few other in between sometimes. This coming week, I'm also doing a DIY on Wednesday on building raised garden boxes out of salvaged doors. So, if you haven't already started reading my green-living blog, please start now, from every computer you come in contact with. I would be so grateful. I would be even more grateful, so much so that I could be persuaded to throw another trivia night, if you would pass this info along to your friends/fam/MySpace/Facebook/blog readers.

Secondly, Earth Day is coming up (April 22nd). Those who live in the Lou should undoubtedly check out the Forest Park celebration that will take place on Sunday. Before that, however, is April 14th. What's that? That's Step It Up 2007. This dude, Bill McKibben, started a grassroots movement to have nationwide actions to raise awareness of global warming. To date, the largest global warming protest only drew 1,000 activists. Already McKibben has planned activities in every state, planned and organized at the local level by people using Step It Up's website. The NY Times had a huge article about McKibben today that you can read online. To find a protest in your area, check out Step It Up online and then get out on April 14th. In St Louis, there's one at Wash U, one on Delmar, and one at the County Courthouse in Clayton. Chris and I will be out there--I encourage those of you who feel strongly about fighting global warming to join us.

Finally, there's a sit-in happening at Slay's office by SLPS students who object to the state takeover, and apparently, the city used protest-busting tactics like turning off the air conditioning on children. Stay classy, Slay. PubDef is updating constantly.

The revolution will be televised...

1) Ben and Jerry's has an assload of new flavors, and I've had my eye on Cinnamon Buns for a long time, and they had it at my local Watson/Southwest 7-11. The diggability of B&J's makes it worth the extra $$--they do not fuck around with the additional features of the ice cream. In Cinnamon Buns, the extras are a gooey cinnamon swirl and chunks of cinnamon bun dough (in a caramel ice cream). That shit is delectable. Up next: Creme Brulee. Tell me if you see it at your local grocery store.

2) Did one of my most favorite things tonight for the first time this year: sat on our front porch and chilled. Chris played guitar and we talked about the weather. Four days until spring break, where I will do this constantly if the weather allows. That, and ride bikes.

3) You've got to read about Josh Wolf, a video blogger and freelance journalist who has served more prison time for refusing a court order than any journalist in American history. In 2005, Josh filmed a G8 anarchist protest in San Francisco and aired clips from his footage on a local activist news website. The clips made the rounds on local news. Because Josh knew many of the protesters, Josh was targed by the FBI, who subpoenaed the videos after Josh refused to hand them over. Josh argues that were he to have to give up the tapes that he made in the name of journalism, this will force journalists to cease filming events such as these because they will be afraid that their work will be used to implicate criminals, this will cause distrust between journalist and subject, and that will have a chilling effect on journalists and the freedom of the press. The state contends that Josh is not a journalist so his work is not subject to the same laws as other journalistic works, despite the fact that Josh won the 2006 Journalist of the Year award from the Society of Professional Journalists. (This is bullshit, because if this holds up, it basically says that unless you are a student or working for the man, you are not entitled to freedom of the press, which is bullshit. In the age of legitimate bloggers (myself excluded), bloggers are absolutely journalists, and recording events is what journalists are supposed to do. What happened to reporting what happened?) Josh has been in jail for over six months (he served one month, was released, and then returned to jail when he again refused to hand over the tapes). Read his website/wiki/or blog to learn more about this wrongfully incarcerated man and learn more about how you can help by sending books or letters to Josh, or contributing to his legal defense fund.

Unrelated: awesome t-shirt/sticker/etc site.

Shows #3 & 4

I've been busy this week. Soccer started and my writing sample for the doctoral program I'm applying to was due, plus Green Options stuff, so I haven't had a change to talk about the badass concerts I went to last week.
Thursday, Chris and I, along with our friend Josh, had a few drinks at the Fox and the Hound, and then went to the Creepy Crawl to see the New Amsterdams and State Radio. The Fox and the Hound and the Creepy are basically polar opposites other than they both sell beer, but it's a good place to have a pint and sit on comfortable couches and talk about how Josh once wrote Bill O'Reilly a hate mail letter and O'Reilly read it on the air. The show was bizarre. During the New Amsterdam's some hippie-ass dude yelled out a request to the lead singer, who then replied, "That's not our song" or something like that. Then the hippie guy wigs out and starts yelling at the guy, "Naw, bro, that's not cool. You just disrespected me. Fuck you." The crowd goes silent and the lead singer, a fairly affable dude, is totally blindside by this guy's rude behavior. They go back and forth, with the singer apologizing, although he doesn't really know what he's apologizing for, and finally buys the hippie dude and his (oddly) Jersey-mall chick girlfriend a beer, which the bartender slammed on the bar and said something to the effect of, "You're an asshole" to the hippie guy. Five minutes later, the hippie guy leans over to me and says, "You have beautiful hair." Five minutes after that, Jersey-mall chick drops her State Radio merch on the ground, and Chris picks it up and hands it back to her. Then Hippie-Dude says, "Thanks, bro, that's so awesome. Let me buy you a beer." Um, like the one you just snaked off the band? Thanks, Bra!

State Radio, however, was unbelievable and wonderful and it was such a dance-worthy, fro-shaking good time. Hippie-Dude even tried to crowd surf. Is this 1996 Lollapalooza? My bad, I didn't get the memo. Anyway, the show was so powerful. I love a band with a progressive message. Lead singer/guitarist Chad Urmston (from Dispatch) is my long-lost hair twin, and he was nice neough to a picture with me.

The next night, we went to Guster at the Pageant. We had great balcony seats, but I kinda wish I had the energy to be on the floor, because the energy at Guster shows is awesome, as is Guster themselves. They have crazy-devoted fans, many armed with ping-pong balls. The bullshit of the Guster show was that a guy I work with invited Chris and I to a fish fry before the show. I said yes, but then Chris didn't want to go and I took a nap and we ate burritos instead. The guy I work with, I should probably mention, is brother-in-law to the drummer of Guster. Who ended up being at the fish fry. That we didn't go to. BUNK CITY! The drummer from Guster, Brian Rosenworcel, is totally awesome. He drums WITH HIS HANDS. Cymbals and all. It's one of the coolest musical things I've experienced at a show.

More this weekend--We have Babel and Jesus Camp from Netflix, which I'm excited about.

Mr. Smith makes it to PBS

Many of you know I worked for the Jeff Smith campaign last summer, and I plugged the documentary about his 2004 run for the Dick Gephardt's congressional seat, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? Well, that film will be showing on PBS in St Louis tonight (Tuesday) at 7:30 PM. Tivo Idol, people, or Tivo this film, because it is amazing. Check your own local listings to see if it's playing outside of St Louis.

Oceania is now at war with Eastasia

The other night, I was watching various TV shows online. I hadn't seen MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen" in forever, rightly so, because that show is a crock of shit, but I am a pop-culture completist, and this very base kind of documentary still appeals to me. I had a few glasses of wine (Chris was at his conferences) and settled in to see Eazy-E's daughter's big-ass party. As I was watching the unbelievably rude, mean, and selfish way this girl was talking to the people around her who were her friends, family, or people who were serving her in some way, I just couldn't believe that that was real. I mean, here was this huge painted portrait of Eazy-E hanging on the wall. I couldn't believe that someone who acted this way was being glorified on a television show, and that, undoubtedly, this girl would have 1,800 MySpace comments telling her how awesome she was. It felt like I was watching a Christopher Guest mockumentary.
It's not just shitty "reality" television. Anna Nicole Smith dies tragically. Drama ensues. Certainly bizarre and fascinating, for about two minutes. Does this need continuous coverage on Headline News or MSNBC, tracking the unsubstantiated minutiae of what was in her fridge when she died? If you need any more proof that the media controls what we care about, you need look no further than last week's coverage. You know what else happened last week? Multiple people died in bombings in Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, and Iran. In fact, 139 people were killed in Iraq by military-related attacks on Monday alone. A major scientific study heralded the medicinal benefit of marijuana. The world finally got on board with acknowledging that global warming is real. Where's the live feed for that? Where are the "reporters" climbing all over each other to get this story? Do more people care about the shameful gold-digging aftermath of a fucked-up woman's death that care about blatant human rights violations happening around the world? Do we care more about how much some complete idiot is going to pay for Britney's ratty extensions on eBay than the Bush Administration's insolent, arrogant attempt to dupe the public into supporting the invasion of another country? Look, I read PinkIsTheNewBlog and PerezHilton, but I also read The New York Times, BBC News, and Mother Jones. We refuse to look critically at what the media spoon-feeds us (or chooses not to spoon-feed us) and become completely apathetic to the world around us.
Last week before I went to the conference, I chaperoned a group of students on a trip to see a stage production of George Orwell's 1984 at Wash U. They had not yet read the book, but were going to start it this week. I've read 1984 several times, and taught it to my seniors when I was in Bamberg, but it wasn't until I saw the stage version, revisiting the text in my head as actors (the interrogators smartly dressed like congressman, complete with power suit and lapel pin) brought the story to life, that I was utterly and completely frightened. Before, I was frightened of what Orwell thought our civilization could become. Now, I was afraid of what it had become.

We Don't Need Stinkin' Mardi Gras

Since I wasn't back from Tan-Tar-A until 4ish, and it was straight Arctic, and Mike D and Kendall were in town, we didn't head to Soulard last night. Affton (i.e. Meghan and Paul's) is where it's at. Some images--


Dan drew a tattoo of George Michael on Emily's back. It was hot as hell. There were several Guitar Hero matchups; here's one of Chris and Mike as Matt Berra looks on.

Real Teachers, Really

Thursday I had to go present at this state conference for English teachers. I was supposed to go with another colleague; we were presenting a session, but he backed out at the last minute, and my car is still sitting in the school parking lot with a broken ignition cylinder or something, so I rented a car and headed to Tan-Tar-A. Dear God. The presentation went really, really well, and I got to hang out with my favoritist professor of my life, Dr. Barb Price, and then things went horribly, horribly askew. I am saving the unabridged version from my memoirs, but here's a brief rundown of the elements that made the post-presentation convention not unlike a bizzaro dream where you find yourself in your underwear running away from the apocalypse with that girl you haven't seen since grade school. So:

1. Grown-ass man constantly running around with a panda puppet. Was seen in the bar. With the puppet.
2. Found out random Truman student who was there is married to Writer Guy. Those who frequented the Dukum Inn circa 2003-2004 know who I'm talking about.
3. Made two friends from North KC, and we spent the night making fun of:
a. 30-year old teachers wearing mom jeans, 'woo!" ing, dancing the cha-cha-slide, singing Margaritaville, one wearing a t-shirt that said, "Got Dick?"
b. another younger non-teacher, who accosted us in the lobby after the bar closed, circa 2AM, and went into hour-long hysterics, complete with tears and chest pounding, about Jesus, to which I responded by parroting everything she said back like the congregation and holding my hand up and telling her to testify, which she absolutely found normal. She also had a frightening lobster-red tanning-bed sunburn.

Long story short, I woke up with a mean hangover and had to drive back to the Lou with no battery in my iPod.

New Favorite Blog

...and not because I'm bound by the power vested in Emily Weidhaas. Chris started a blog, and it's pretty damn good. Give Peace Between People a shoutout, y'all.

Also, I have to tell you about my experience at the state English teacher conference. Let's just say it involved panda puppets, 2 AM Jesus freaks, and a pint of Dewars. I'm hurtin'. But that will come tomorrow. Must go hang out at Meghan's.

Futile Protest Songs

Officially, the kids have gone batshit crazy. I'm holed up in the Writing Center hoping for little-to-no customers. In honor of this totally productive and worthwhile day (and to avoid doing any real work) I made a new playlist in honor of my student's protests to "LET US OUT!" Like I make any real decisions around here. See as follows.

The Sound of Settling--Death Cab
Lost Cause--Beck
Selfless, Cold, and Composed--Ben Folds Five
Roll With It--Ani DiFranco
Drown in My Own Tears--Jeff Buckley
Great Escape--Guster
Waiting for the Sun--The Jayhawks
Mystery of Iniquity--Lauryn Hill
Happiness Is a Warm Gun--The Beatles
Dear Valentine--Guster
Don't Stop Believin'--Journey
It's Not My Cross to Bear--The Allman Brothers
Rise Up With Fists--Jenny Lewis

Un-Awesome

That's how articulate I am today.

It's pretty cool that we're practically the ONLY school that has school today. And, although we can have school, we apparently cannot have field trips, one of which I had scheduled for today, so here I am with no lesson plans, wearing jeans and a hoodie like I was going to a landfill, which I was, but now I'm not. And Chris is at home, cozy in pajamas, probably watching The View. Well, probably not. But maybe Price is Right.

Shins concert post later this afternoon....

From the Mouths of Babes

"You're a grown-ass lady. Do not put on Pampers thinkin' you gon' drive 900 miles without stopping. You're an astronaut? That ain't smart, not one bit. You gonna have to stop some time, why would you ride around with boo boo in your pants? Work it out!"

My student, in re: astronaut arrested for attempted murder.

Triumphant...nothing

We're back from the World Series of Pop Culture, and although we did pass the test, and were the only team in our testing session to do so, we did not make it pass casting, probably because we were so shocked at passing the test that we acted like slaphappy idiots in front of the cameras. So, our trivia glory will not, for the time being, go any further than Lemmons. But Chicago was a (freezingcoldarctic) blast--we saw BodyWorlds 2 at the Museum of Science and Industry, I got to hang with with two of my three best friends from high school, Justin and Mike, and we tied one on at a dive Irish bar in Lincoln Park.

In other news, Green Options launches today, for real. I blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there is great content posted every single day. If you haven't been keeping up with the news, pretty much we're at a tipping point as far as public awareness of climate change, and you'd be wise to get on the green wagon now. This is a great place to start.

Off to find fame and fortune

I haven't posted lately because I have been busy with the Green Options thang, which is working out quite nicely. I hope you'll hop on over to check out my posts, then give them some Hugg or Digg love.

This weekend is the World Series of Pop Culture regionals in Chicago, where Paul, Kevin, and I will be attempting to make the national competition (the one that is on VH1) in New York. There are a lot a team competing and not a lot of teams make it to the Sunday's regional final, but someone's got to win, so it might as well be us. It gives me an excuse to read about Veronica Mars on Wikipedia. I watched every single episode of The Office in the name of research. And it was awesome. Wish us luck!

Ink

New tattoo, long overdue, done yesterday. Take that, Joe-who-also-wanted-a-tree-on-his-arm.

That's my upper left arm. Better start lifting.

Supreme Trivia Knowledge

Won Lemmon's Trivia Night for the second time in three weeks. No big. I'd highly recommend you check it out on the nights our team, Dry Cold Canadian Winter, doesn't go. It's free; the winner of each round gets a free pitcher, and the overall winner gets a case of beer and a free pizza, the same wonderful pizza served at Blackthorn. You also get to decorate a whiteboard with whatever your team wants. This was great because Dan was on our team, so we got a pretty professional illustration. After he drew the board, the trivia lady came over to get it. The trivia guy came over to her and said, "What took them so long?" She replied, "Uh, it's pretty fucking sweet." Dan drew a maple leaf tazering that news anchor, Larry Conners, who got tazered not too long ago (which was a trivia question). Tonight's categories: Russia, Current Events, Disney Movies, Meet Me In St Louis, and Computer Acronyms. I contributed not a whole lot except I was really, really certain that The Mighty Ducks came out in '92. And that Dick Van Dyke's character in Mary Poppins was named Bert. Chim-chimeree!

Big Timer

Word on the street is that I'm about to expand my blogging to a professional (i.e. PAID!) level. I just got a regular writing gig, blogging twice-weekly on GreenOptions.com, a new green-living website set to launch in February. I'm going to be blogging mainly about sustainability and sustainability education from a teacher's perspective, although I'll be writing about all kinds of green-living goodness. From the site (still in Beta testing):

When our site goes live in February, you'll find a constantly-updated blog featuring some of the green blogosphere's best writers, a green living wiki with a wide range of practical information, a central news page for green stories from around the globe, discussion forums to share your own green practices and insights, and tools to help you make the jump to solar energy (and eventually other technologies) for your home or business.

Green Options is the brainchild of Shea Gunther and David Anderson and the senior editor is St Louis's own Jeff McIntire-Strasburg. More deets to come as I get them.

One More Thing...

...that's completely irrelevent.

How many more seasons until American Idol has split screens during auditions, with one side showing the ridiculous performers, and the other side showing Paula's drugged out, lazy-eyed, word-slurring, wrinkled-tits reaction? I know I'm not alone in my demand for this.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again: delusional people getting their dreams shattered in a cruel, intentional manner never ceases to be funny. I love the next four months, when I get to be a vocal expert. Time to get me to River City...

P.S. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd upload the pictures my grandma took of Ryan Seacrest at the Arch.

Completely, completely random...

I am pretending to finish working on my doctoral application while Chris cleans the basement, but I'm really looking at the new Blogger and watching soaps. Of note:

1) Newman's Organics puts out great products, like fake Oreos that I used to make vegan cupcakes that were awesome. Those great products do not include their new dog treats, which are making Asher's farts reek worse than a hog confinement. Seriously, I can't even breathe through my shirt, it's invading my persona.

2) Days of our Lives update: something is going on with Belle, Shawn, Phillip, and Mimi, custody, babies...blah, blah, blah WHO CARES? The real news is that the old Phillip (pre-douchebag Kyle from The Real World) is back, and, in an awesome courtroom scene, peeled off a full head of facial bandages, then Victor explained that Phillip got a face transplant after he was hurt in Afghanistan. The greatest part, maybe, was that Belle was protesting how that couldn't possibly be Phillip, even though that bitch isn't anywhere near the original Belle. She's the third one. I love suspending disbelief, so that was pretty meta and sweet. TPTB must have known I was going to be off school today. So what happened with the douchebag? I don't know if he got fired or what, but from reading his blog he seems like a real peachy guy. Err, not. Misogyny and all-around asshattedness is so hot these days.

3) Chris and I, on a whim, started rewatching every episode of Carnivale. Sigh. Why was it cancelled? Why? It's so fucking good. The opening credits is probably the most badass intro to a television show, ever.

Jack is Back

At the midway point of the season premiere--

"Was there any doubt that Jack Bauer would bite out someone's jugular in the first hour?"

Noted by Chris.

This?

Is nasty.

Favor

If anyone has complete season DVDs of the following shows:

24
Grey's Anatomy
Desperate Housewives
The Sopranos


and is willing to let me borrow them to study for the World Series of Pop Culture, I would be greatly indebted.

Also, anyone who has any current versions of Trivial Pursuit, particularly 80's or Pop Culture 1 or 2 and can let me borrow it for the same purpose, the Champagne of Trivia would be greatly indebted.

Hooray for local businesses.

I've been saying for a while that I wish our neighborhood had a coffeeshop within walking distance. I've also, for a while, been waiting for the opening of the Stellina Pasta Cafe on Watson just a bit down from Biggie's. They opened Monday, and although I haven't been there yet, their menu is now online and they have full-service coffee and espresso drinks. Hooray! They have soups, pastas, salads, and sandwiches, along with selling their organic handmade pastas to take home. Hours are M-F 8-7 and Saturdays 8-5, closed Sundays.

Show

There's a State Radio show at the Creepy on Thursday, February 22nd. They are an awesome band to see live, even if you must venture into the throes of teen angst that drip from the walls at the Creepy. Tickets aren't on sale yet, but should be dirt cheap. They stream stuff online, so if you don't know them, click above to hear their music. If you were/are a Dispatch fan, this is Chad Urmston's current band. Should be badass.

Hippie Resolve

So anyway, with Christmas and everything, I really got caught up with the whole consumerism bullshit. I generally try to stay away from the siren call of the mall and shopping in general, except for grocery shopping and an occasional trip to Target or Home Eco for house stuff or the bookstore. I know that, given the opportunity, I could drop a shitload of cash on shit I don't need at places like Sephora or H&M or Sur La Table. I had been spending more time spending money than I normally do, and I felt dirty, even if they were for gifts. I thought more about this today in class when, while discussing Ishmael one of kids said, "Most of what we think we need is just psychological. We just think we need it, when in reality, we don't." Word, Elizabeth L. Word. Do we really need all the things we have?

It's not the whole it's-fucked-up-because-buying-stuff-should-not-be-a-form-of-validation thing (although that is fucked up), it's more that buying stuff means we're producing all new stuff. That takes resources and produces waste and pollution. Someone was probably exploited to manufacture it. Fossil fuels were used to transport it from manufacture to retail. And, if you didn't get the memo, global warming is upon us and we need to cut back on fossil fuel use.

It's not just that. Chris and I could be carpooling, and we haven't been. Leaving the lights on when we're not in the room. Using cloth shopping bags. I haven't been consistent with the easy things, and I feel shitty about that.

I'm not naive. Living 100% sustainably is not realistic for most people, unless you want to abandon any type of urban area, head for the hills, and live off the grid. Everything is truly a compromise. Ultimately, unless you are completely bike/human powered, you need to use fossil fuels to get places. The way Americans are going to become more sustainable is by small adjustments and changes in lifestyle. Like not validating ourselves through needless consumerism. Or eating less meat. Not becoming vegans, but one or two meat-free meals a week. Two less car trips a week. Using all compact florescent light bulbs.

To cut a rambling rant short, I'm making a re-commitment to living more sustainably. I want to show my kids and my friends that you can do it and not smell like patchouli and have stank pits and eat only soy cheese (I don't care what the vegans say, nothing can replace cheese, ever.) And you don't have to buy $2,500 organic cotton/bamboo armchairs to live sustainably. Fuck Gaiam.

Also, there's a new Freecycle-type website that is pretty badass, called Gigoit (Garbage In, Garbage Out.) Check it out if you are into the free stuff board of Craigslist.

Also, I'm going to try to sell my car again. If you are in the market for a 2004 Ford Focus with 31,xxx miles on it, holla at a girl.

Hmmm

I guess some girls really will cut you.

Monday Anecdotes

I hope you had a good weekend. Briefly...

* Saw an interesting show at the Mad Art Gallery. My friend Dan showed and he rocks.

* New restaurant next to Soulard Market, Franco, is delicious and had the best restaurant music of my life. I heard Jeff Buckley, the Jayhawks, and Guster, all in one ladies luncheon. Pricey for dinner, but lunch was affordable and you can go to the market before or after.

* I'm retracting the statement I made about reading Ruby Payne's work. I now think she sucks a fat one. Read something else. Like Paulo Freire.

* Saw Thank You For Smoking this weekend and loved it. Next on my list: Children of Men, Six Feet Under: Season Three, Lady in the Water, and Transamerica.

* I just finished reading T.C. Boyle's A Friend of the Earth, which chronicles a fictional eco-saboteur reflecting back on his life, his activism, and the state the world has fallen into in 2026. Even if you aren't into the environmental or environmental activism, it's a great read without being preachy.

* I like the iTunes feature where your library is beamed to others within your wireless network. There's a lady at work, who is like 39, whose library consists of two CD's: George Michael and the Pussycat Dolls. No comment necessary.

Holiday Recap

I had a great holiday break, which was rudely interrupted by school yesterday. Alarm clock are a bitch. The highlights/commentary:

*DMI was great. Good family time. My brother Andrew got his First Real Job working for the Miller distributor in Des Moines. Consequently, my house only has MGD and High Life bottles. So, it's kind of like the Champagne of Trivia is sponsored by the Champagne of Beers. I saw an old guy almost die at my brothers' favorite bar, and came to the conclusion that my life would be infinitely better if I could drive around and chill with my brother Jake on the regular. Grandma Best, like the baller she is, decided to sell her Wal-Mart stock and the whole family benefited.

* I hung out with Pogge, Schuler, and Ness. We tried to avoid all other UHS alums, but people pay homage like we are godfathers, which, since we bought a lot of younger friend beer back int he day, I guess we are. Had great times with other randoms from HS, so, all in all, a good visit.

* Drank a lot and chilled a lot, college style, with my dinner club friends, as we spent an entire day gossiping, knitting, and watching the THS: Hugh Hefner and Little People, Big World, then won Lemmons Trivia Night.

* New Years was off the chain at Meghan's and Paul's. Recipe for fun: Guitar Hero, Chubby Bunny, Ice Block holding contest, Scene It, dance party featuring late 90's rap. Emily and Dan were crowned Mr. & Mrs New Year, mainly because they were the only ones who wanted to hold blocks of ice and shove marshmallows in their craws.

* Caught up with other old friends, namely Mike Cannon at Blackthorn/Friendly's and Charlie and Kim tonight at Bottleworks. There's nothing like old friends, beer, and good conversations.

* Keep my friend Ness in your thoughts. His brother Jason, only two years younger than us, passed away unexpectedly yesterday from a brain aneurysm. I was pretty close with their family in high school and they are great people facing a tragic loss.

Paging Doug Ross

Because we, except for about four times a year, pretty much only watch movies from Netflix, therefore putting us behind the curve of what's current in contemporary cinema, we just got around to watching Syriana last night. Y'all should get on it. I knew that it was about the oil industry, but I didn't really know what to expect. It's basically a critique of the oil industry, energy trade, and America's unquenchable thirst for oil, how that plays out politically, and how it affects people's lives. You should rent it, and watch the special features, too. There was (when this movie was current) debate that it's pretty ethnocentric to believe that America's energy demands have this much impact on the world, but I would have to disagree. Americans, as a whole, are very ethnocentric, so it's not a stretch to believe that our actions do have this must impact. In any event, watch the movie, if you get confused, check out the Wikipedia entry on the film so you can get a clear view of the plot and the connections between stories.

We're taking off for DMI tomorrow--family fun with Ed, Kim, et al, and cocktails with my BFF Pogge tomorrow night. ROAD TRIP. More to come tomorrow on the holiday season.

SLPS vers. 2.0

If you live in St Louis, you are probably aware of the turmoil that is happening with the St Louis Public Schools. I blogged about it earlier this year, but things have been happening at a breakneck speed. Crazy-lady Veronica O'Brien, who just months ago pushed for Diana Bourisaw's hiring as superintendent, is now saying that Bourisaw should be fired and the state should take over. Mayor Slay is also pushing for a partial state takeover. What happens when the state takes over? The school board will be replaced by a three-person panel, and the current board will remain intact but have no power and make no decisions.

I am torn about what to believe is going on. Here's what I know to be true: There is obviously a huge, huge problem. At this point, I wouldn't send my non-existent children to SLPS. There ARE good teachers in SLPS. Not all of them, but certainly a large number of committed, skilled educators. The problem, though, is not teachers. The problems are coming from inconsistent adminstration and leadership, from the superintendent and board on down. Not Bourisaw herself, she hasn't been here long enough to be inconsistent. That's part of the problem: not allowing any one superintendent enough time to make a change.

However, I don't know that state takeover is the best answer. The problem with state takeover is that the board that will take over is appointed (one each) by Slay, James Shrewsbury (Board of Aldermen President) and the School Board, and there is a large amount of speculation that said appointments will be just as bad as the school board that the public elected. Those opposed to state takeover believe that those who have the power to appoint the new board will not choose people based on qualifications, but on how they can serve those people who appoint (Slay, Shrewsbury, and the SB). I read one letter than believed that Slay would appoint O'Brien. DANG. Please don't. I think it is crucial that the three appointed board members are committed to working together, with a shared vision, towards making our schools outstanding for all students

A lot of people are pointing the finger at Mayor Slay. Chris has ties to Slay and his administration, and I know that he is not this evil powermonger some make him out to be. He is the mayor of the city. Obviously, he has a vested interest in the quality of the schools. I think he lost his credibility with the schools when he backed Clinkscale, Schoemehl, Archibald, and Jackson in 2003, because that ended in disaster and marked the slide from close-to-accreditation to nowhere-near-accreditation, but ultimately, he has to want what is best for the schools.

The Post-Dispatch has given ink to this highly pertinent subject, but many think the coverage is biased. There is numerous coverage from multiple perspectives available in the blogosphere. Pub Def has good coverage, although it is connected to board member Peter Downs. Downs wrote a letter to the Special Board that recommended partial state takeover, which is pretty insightful and worth reading.

All city/county people should have a vested interest in a radical change in the St Louis Schools. For so long, people who have the means (and some who don't) have sent their kids to parochial or private schools instead of city schools. It's practically a given for people I know. For people my age who are committed to living in the city, it feels like their only option. Most people wouldn't even send their kids to the outstanding public magnet schools. It doesn't have to be like that. Imagine sending your kids to a diverse neighborhood school that was clean, safe, stable, and had amazing curriculum and instruction. For free. It would draw people back to city living and would completely revitalize the area.

I think it's bullshit that people turn their backs to the problem because their children don't attend the public schools. We as a community benefit from having a population that is educated. Comprehensive education prepares people for higher education and the workplace. If a person has the ability to get a good job, with good benefits, because they have a certain level of education, they are more likely to positively contribute to their community. As it stands, public education, as a whole, is structured so that white, middle-to-upper class student can succeed. Everyone else can assimilate or fail. I am interested in how we change education so that all students, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, or socioeconomic status, truly has the ability to succeed. If we can do that (and we can, as a community) we will take one huge step towards attaining social justice for all people.

Kirksville Goss, Y'all

I love a good crime scandal. From a press release to Fox 2 News, forwarded to me by my inside gal:


UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
December 11, 2006
For Immediate Release
FORMER KIRKSVILLE MAYOR INDICTED ON FEDERAL ARSON CHARGES
St. Louis, Missouri: Deborah Masten was indicted on federal charges in connection with the fire of Too Talls Two Eatery and Spirits, in January 2005, United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway, Adair County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Williams and Kirksville Police Chief Jim Hughes, and Michael Boxler, ATF Special Agent in Charge announced today. The charges were announced at a press conference earlier today in Kirksville, Missouri.
“The indictment alleges that Ms. Masten intentionally damaged her restaurant located at 220 North Elson Street, Kirksville, by setting fire to it,” said Hanaway. “This is another example of what cooperation between state, local and federal authorities can accomplish. The suspicious nature of the fire was originally investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Fire Marshal. [Prosecuting Attorney Mark Willimas realized that resources and investigation of the BATF would be necessary] to develop the investigation to its fullest.”
“Despite the sadness of having to announce an indictment against a former public official, ATF is pleased to have been able to lend its investigative expertise with arson to this case,” added Boxler.
Masten, 52, formerly of the 1300 block of Country Club Drive, Kirksville, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one felony count of maliciously damaging real and personal property by fire. If convicted, she faces a penalty range of five to 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.
The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

SO AWESOME.

It Wasn't Me

I just finished watching Who Killed The Electric Car? Excellent documentary. If you are already fairly well-versed in climate change, and understand the importance of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, this film shows just how difficult that reduction will be if our government continues to allow big business to dominate legislature. Long story short: the state of California made a law saying that all car manufacturers who sold cars in California must produce a certain percentage of zero-emissions cars (i.e. electric cars). Through pressure from the automakers and oil companies, combined with blatant conflict of interest from lawmakers, that law was repealed and GM phased out their EV-1, which was immensely popular, eventually repossessing all vehicles made, despite grassroots efforts from car leasers and environmentalists. Put it on your Netflix queue.

Snow Day, Bitches!

First time as a teacher. Woo-hoo!

My Phone Is Fixed

Rather, I got a replacement one. Booyakasha.

Choose Life

The weekend was great. I spent quality time with good friends, including Meghan and Paul's fabulous wedding on Saturday where I witnessed not only the greatest father-of-the-bride speech ("I'd like to thank everyone for coming. Peace."), but also heard the greatest back-to-back-songs-at-a-wedding ("Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" by Wham followed up by "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure). I danced like Molly Ringwald.

Chris also, while listening to "Needle in the Hay" by Elliott Smith, buzzed his head. Along the way he looked like my 7th grade boyfriend, Anthony Kiedis circa 1991, and Travis Barker. Transformation photos to follow.

Speaking of Chris, he got HEATED by an e-mail forward from one of his friends. Have y'all seen the e-mail, sent by Republicans, about the ant and the grasshopper? It's basically uses the story of the ant and the grasshopper to make the case that people are poor because they don't work hard enough and people who work shouldn't have to help out those that don't. The forward ended with "Vote Republican." This pissed Chris off and he fired back an eloquent rebuttal that silenced the haters, I think. I mention all this because I had a similar conversation, via e-mail/blog, with my good friend Geoff, who has recently started owning his Republicanism. Anyone who knows Geoff knows that he's kind of bandwagon, so he'll probably come back to the brighter side of things sooner than later. Anyway, his argument, which I can understand, when it comes to poverty and public assistance, was that when he opened his business, he was working a ton and was broke but he didn't go on welfare or EBT. He goes on to say that if people want better jobs, they have to educate themselves and work hard. In theory, this is true. In practice, however, this shit is false as hell. Not to diminish what Geoff has done, because I am incredibly proud of how he started his own business and I know he's worked his tail off. However, Geoff comes from a comfortable family. He is independent in the sense that he pays his own bills, but not in the sense that if something were to happen, it's not like he would starve, lose his house, or not be able to pay the bills. Clark and Annie would help out. As they should, as good parents. However, not everyone has that luxury. That is a middle-to-upper class luxury. So who helps out the working poor when they have an emergency?

We live in a world of middle class values and norms. If you were not raised in the middle or upper class, how would you know how to properly navigate a middle-class world? For example, in my middle-class upbringing, it was never an option for my brothers and I to not go to college. The question was just which one. My parents knew how to help me fill out a FAFSA. They knew what questions to ask on a college visit. They knew about college visits, for chrissakes. They took me to a college counselor. For some of my kids, who have no one in their family who has ever gone to college, that idea is not automatic. It takes calculated efforts from teachers and other influential adults to get them to assume that college is their future and to help them jump through the hoops that they have to in order to be successful. I think a lot of middle-to-upper class people have no idea of what poverty means. I have seen where some of my students live and it would shock you. Honestly, even I had no idea until I saw it myself.
There are several books published in the last five years that document the struggle of those in poverty. Two fascinating reads are Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America and David Shipler's The Working Poor: Invisible in America. All three are excellent reads and I own them if you want to borrow them.
The idea of the American Dream is dead. Nothing teaches you more about the cyclical nature of poverty and ignorance more than working in a school. I can't tell you how many kids I have that are messed up and rightfully so if you meet their parents. If outside agencies such as education and social services don't step in to help people break that cycle, impoverished people will continue to be impoverished and society will bear the burden of that poverty. We are becoming less of a nation of opportunity and more of a nation of classist castes that doom children to repeat their parents mistakes.

My kids are sponsoring their second annual Tent City on January 13th at my school. Kids will camp out for 12 hours in support of poverty-relief efforts in their community. We are taking donations of new or gently-used clothing to benefit the Salvation Army in Maplewood, canned food to benefit America's Second Harvest, and money to support Joe's Place, a new home for homeless teenaged boys in our school district. There will be displays with information on poverty and every donation is tax-deductible. Please come support my kids and their efforts to help make a difference in their community.

Day of Thanks

Here are things I am thankful for at this moment, 11:51 AM on Thanksgiving Day, when I am carmelizing onions in my kitchen:
a clean kitchen
no hangover
strong coffee (fair-trade! organic! at your local Schnucks!)
Elliott Smith
a baby daddy that is literate, doesn't beat me, has a steady job and isn't with me because we have a baby, among eight thousand other things
vintage maroon Vans
my cat and dog
a Survivor Thanksgiving
Karen V and Sha-Na-Na-Na being in town
my totally amazing kids, including the Star-Wars obsessed autistic one who wrote a story with a character named "Padme Best-Oliver"
my parents, who didn't freak when I told them I wasn't coming home
my brothers, who are on the verge of becoming real-live adults
Meghan and Paul's upcoming nuptuals, and the celebration with friends that will follow
The Decemberists amazing new album
Netflix
knitting and pretty yarn and making functional stuff with your own two hands
good friends
the Champagne Of Trivia's hopefully upcoming run at the World Series of Pop Culture
the bigger-than-a-breadbox bag of TasteeOs that I got at the grocery store
my two-day workweek
cooking with wine

That's all for now. Go eat turkey. Or tofurky.

Lack of Tech

My phone is broken and has been broken since before I went to Nashville. So if you are one of the eleven new messages I have on my phone, I'm not hatin'. I didn't even have my phone in Nashville. But now I am home, and I will slowly get to replying to those of you who called me. Right now, I gotta figure out what I'm doing today and tomorrow and figure out what happened while I was gone.

Southern Hospitality

Awwww yeah! Comin' to you live from the National Council of Teachers of English annual conference in Nashville. Talk about a merging of cultures: 5,000 English teachers from around the country meets...Opryland. This hotel, the Gaylord Opryland (how's that for a name?) is not so much a hotel, but what would happen if the Mall of America and Tan-Tar-A spawned a super-commerce complex surrounded by the world's biggest parking lot and overcharged for everything. Seriously. Place is huge. It's like six hotels, but there's these big atrium areas with a "river" which is really just a large, windy fountain, and a zillion overpriced restaurants, bars, and shops selling completely useless shit such a platters that say "Everything tastes better with cat hair" and t-shirts that read "Merry Christmas, y'all" as if Britney designed her own line of novelty clothing. And country music. Errwhere. At any given time in my hotel room, there are at least four different channels playing country music and an episode of "Home Improvement" on. Not only are the English dorks meeting here, but so are the commercial lubricant sales convention, featuring 1,500 men with names like Rod and BIll, wearing light blue button downs with the sleeves rolled up. And, like any touristy place, the old folks. Lots of them.
The English teachers are a different story. There are, of course, the dancing apples. There are the disgruntled folks. But there are also all of the very cool, very awesome at their job people. And there's free booze at things, amazing author talks, and, best of all, FREE BOOKS. Tonight we had the welcome gatherings for all the grade levels, and the secondary session had Ann Patchett, the very distinguished author of Bel Canto and The Patron Saint of Liars (among other books), and she gave away, to all however many hundreds of high school teachers, copies of two of her books and one of Eudora Welty's books. To everyone. Plus free food and beer and wine. And that's just the beginning. Starting tomorrow, there's an expo floor where every book publisher ever gives away free or dirt cheap copies of books and other teachery things like pens, pencils, bags, lesson plans, etc. I know this last paragraph was nerdy. Deal. My colleagues and I are actually presenting a session on our conference English program. Yeah national presenter. Last two years. No big.
Don't worry, I'll update LIVE! FROM NASHVILLE! again soon.
Shout out to my dear friend Meghan. I'm missing her bachelorette party on Saturday, which I'm sad about, but I'm sure it will be like any other bachelorette party: dive bar, party bus, golden showers. Same old, same old.

A Tiny Glimmer of Hope

What's that smell? Is that the smell of...VICTORY? A victory unlike anything Dems have experienced in the past, oh, ten years? The first major victory in my career as a voter?

I went to bed disappointed. The early numbers, at least for Missouri, were grim. I was tired, and Chris was glued to the TV, so I went to sleep, knowing he would wake me up. And he did. When his alarm went off at 2:30 so he could pull out the laptop and check the numbers, after which he freaked out and woke me up to tell me that Talent had conceded, Amendment 2 had passed, and nationwide, things were looking good. I was as excited as I could be when someone wakes you up at 2:30, but I got up early to check the stories.

I'm still in shock. I'm in shock that Dems took the House so convincingly. I'm shocked that we still have a chance (and a good one, at that) to take the Senate. I'm shocked that Amendment 2 passed. I'm shocked that Prop B passed so handily. My entire adult life, Republicans have ruled everything. I wonder how (or even if) things will change. I think the biggest sign of hope is not that leadership will change, it's that America is ready for a change. This looks to be an exciting time in our country's history, and I hope this election inspires people to become active in their communities to continue to make changes. I also look forward to Bush's reaction to everything. Dude is going stutter and sweat like a 7th grade persuasive speech.

Not to neglect the OTHER important news of the day.

Finally Britney is in on the inside joke the rest of the nation has been laughing at. I think so much more highly of her now. Hopefully she'll give him a bus ticket back to Fresno. That, or he'll find another woman to pop out two shorties with.

VOTE

Just a quick post to remind you to go out and vote if you are registered. Please, please, please take ten minutes to read up on the major candidates and amendments. There is so much propaganda out there, particularly regarding the US Senate seat in Missouri and Amendment 2, the stem cell research bill. All this talk of cloning and poor language and exploitation of women is riling me up. THINK FOR YOURSELF. Exploitation of women? As if we can't make our own decisions to undergo invasive surgery? Some schiester doctor is going to con us into it? And we need to be protected? Get the fuck out of here. I don't see people trying to save frat rats from the sperm bank. All that talk, all the focus on the extra nonsense, is to take your mind off the real issue: when do you believe life begins? If you believe that the cells in blastocyst constitute life, and that life is just as valuable as a grown human being, they you are probably against this bill. If you believe that life begins much later, or you believe that the cells are more valuable as a means of saving a grown human being, then you are probably for the bill. Let's not bring archaic views of women, or the concept of meeting your twin on the street someday into this. Call a spade a spade. It's pro-life or pro-choice ver. 2.0. Whatever way you vote, make sure it's really about that, not what some dude on a corner had on a placard.

More later at school.

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween. We celebrated last weekend, after we celebrated the Cardinals improbable World Series victory. Per capita, St Louis had to have consumed more beer than any other city in the world this weekend. Baseball champs, beer champs, crime champs. REPRESENT!

Chris and I dressed up as Richie and Margot Tenenbaum This is a costume idea I've been sitting on for a while now. Although I make an unconvincing Gwenyth, I think I could pass for an Olsen Twin or Fiona Apple in the right lighting. Chris's look is spot on.

Something I'm so over is the slutty costume phenomenon. I have never subscribed to the notion that Halloween gives people the right to sluttify a costume and dress like a South County whore using the cheap guise of holiday cheer, particularly after college. I went to two parties this weekend, both of which had slutty costumes: slutty bunny, slutty doctor, slutty pirate, slutty Strawberry Shortcake. Next year, in an irony-fueled protest, I think I am going to organize my friends to dress in completely ridiculous slutty costumes, such as slutty baby, slutty quadriplegic, slutty Hitler, slutty Holocaust survivor, slutty cancer patient, etc. Maybe this will stop the madness.

Bringing Blogging Back

Long time no post. I have been busy with the following things:

* Working. A lot. Homecoming was a few weeks ago, which completely consumed my school life, but went very, very well and provided me with some gratification as to working with kids. I have one more week of soccer, then I will be free at 3:05 every day instead of 6:00+, which will allow me to produce a dearth of blog postings unlike anything you've ever seen.
* Desperately trying to maintain a less than 1,000 SF house that is currently occupied by three adults, three cats, a 95 lb dog, and a lot of nasty. Warning: if you eat at my house, there will be pet hair in your food. Guaranteed. Get over it.
* Dealing with the aftermath of Chris's car getting stolen. From our house. In broad daylight. Crackhead stole it, hit another car in a hit and run, and abandoned it. Could you just, you know, drive it into the river or something? Because now we owe the $1000 deductible if we want to get it fixed. I'm telling you, the streets of Epiphany Parish just ain't what they used to be.
* Going to two wedding and Kirksville in the last two weeks. Curtis Fucking Prusha got married, which is monumental if you know that dude. He took time out of his rehearsal dinner/party to give me shit for not updating my blog. Thanks, man. I also went to another wedding for one of Chris's friends where the brother of the bride is a white rapper named Temperature (I don't know the rap spelling of his moniker) and the best man (coincidentally the best man at our wedding) gave a drunken, drunken, drunken speech punctuated by some female relative holding up the bride and groom's baby over her head to draw attention to her magnificence, not unlike Simba's birth on The Lion King. Kirksville just made me feel old. I was actually appalled by some drunk soccer boy's heckling strategy. Yelling loudly that the linesman has a small penis is not going to help you with your offsides cause, man. You have to be smart in your shit-talking.
* Cardinals games. My lovely friend Susan graciously invited me to a Divisional Championship game and a League Championship game. Good times. Unfortunately, it is really putting a damper on my TV watching, since St Louis mandate only allows televisions to broadcast games during the playoffs. If you want to watch something else, too bad.
* Kickball and soccer. I played in my first indoor game last night with a bunch of Bulldog Old Ladies and some random dudes along for the coed ride. I am ridiculously out of shape, although I already knew about that since I got winded running the bases at kickball.

Clean Elections and St Louis

While reading Steve Patterson today, I read about the new campaign finance laws (or lack of) for St Louis. Right now, if you are running for alderman, you can only accept individual donations of up to $325 per person or business, or if you are running for a city-wide position, $1275. Those donation limits will be curbed as of January 1, 2007, making unlimited contributions a possibility.
I am against this for several reasons. One, it disenfranchises the everyman from becoming the alderman. You are essentially putting more money into the election process, allowing a person to write his/her own check for their campaign. One great thing about the aldermanic races is that, in many wards, it's a low-turnout election, so grassroots campaigns have a great chance at succeeding. Allowing candidates unlimited donations essentially neutralizes the power of the people and puts the power in the pockets.
Two, having campaign donation limits assures that one person just can't write a check to put a candidate in his/her pocket. As the new rules will stand, theoretically, any one person could write a check that completely funds a candidates campaign and could use that person to his/her advantage or to benefit his/her own personal agenda. Washington is corrupted by political donations. It's the reason our government is so screwed up and so enabling of large corporations: reciprocity is expected or reelection is threatened. One could argue that you can raise the same amount of money using either method, but having donation limits forces a candidate to get funding from several sources, which is more representative of a democracy than getting money from just one source.
Obviously, those in power are not going to give up their power without a struggle. Elected officials will continue to accept campaign funding wherever they can get it, and, as a consequence, will continue to vote in big donors' best interests, not the common people's. People will continue to get fucked, both by big businesses and by the government. I believe there are three solutions:
One, everyone needs to realize that we, as people, do have power. Small groups of committed people are the only thing that have ever changed the world, and to resign ourselves to helplessness is going to ensure than no change occurs. If you feel helpless, do something. Join one of the thousands of local groups that are fighting to change things right now.
Two, mobilize non-voters. So many people who get fucked by government don't vote. If we could mobilize those missing voters to all elections at all levels, by getting them to realize that their vote can make a difference in their lives, major changes can happen. It's easy to feel like you are helpless and that your vote won't really matter, but, especially at the local level, your vote can and does make a difference. You should have to register to vote when you sign up for any type of social services, get your driver's license, or register for the draft. Two elections that impact people in a tangible way on the local level are school board elections and, here in St Louis, alderman elections. Although in smaller municipalities, they may be largely ceremonial positions, they do make real decisions about the workings of cities and schools.
Three, work to change the election system as it exists now. Until money is out of elections and representative government, and elected officials aren't just rich people, with rich friends, primarily representing the interests of the rich, things will continue to be corrupt and we won't have a government that really represents the interests of the people. In the state of Maine, candidates can choose to run as a "clean" candidate after voters passed the "Clean Election Act," which states (from their website) The law was passed by Maine voters in a referendum in 1996 and came into effect in 2000. Candidates who demonstrate citizen support by collecting a set number of $5 qualifying contributions from voters within their districts (50 contributions for a State House race, 150 for the state Senate, and 2,500 for a gubernatorial race) are eligible for fixed and equal campaign funding from the Clean Election Fund. To receive their money, candidates must agree to forgo all private contributions (including self-financing), and limit their spending to the amount from the fund. Participating Clean Money candidates are also given an additional one-for-one match if they are outspent by non-complying opponents or are the target of independent expenditures (such as ads produced by a group not associated with the opposing candidate). Candidates who reject the option of Clean Money or who fail to qualify are still free to collect private money under the existing system.
In the 2004 elections, 71% of candidates chose to run "clean," and over half of "clean" candidates won their elections. Because of clean candidates, Maine passed the Dirigo Health Reform Act, which aims to improve health care quality, expand access to health care, and contain health care costs. Citizens are integral in the process of health care reform, and have been included in planning using a "21st Century Town Meeting" model. This was possible due to candidates being elected by Clean Money. Elected officials are accountable to people, not lobbyists or big donors. They are free to make decisions that have their constituents' best interests in mind, not their biggest donors.
This, I think, is the biggest, most effective change we can enact. Think of how the demographics of candidates would change! People who would never even consider running for office could now run and actually have a chance to win. This is what democracy is supposed to look like.

Witnessing History

Only moments ago, one of the greatest moments in reality television history occured, and I didn't even see it coming.

Some background: one of the tribes on Survivor, threw the immunity challenge to get rid of the overweight, lazy, metalhead. After the challenge, dude is looking for some sympathy and says randomly to another tribe "I'm the next to go." One of the girls in the other tribes says, "Aw, we love you." Dude hesistates and says, "I love you, too."

Flash forward to Tribal Council. Dude is clearly getting voted off, but randomly in the pre-vote questioning, he busts out with, "It doesn't matter if I get voted off. I found true love on the island. With Candace" Candace being the girl who said "Aw, we love you," which were probably the first words she ever spoke to the guy.

In the sweetest TC moment ever, Jeff Probst visibly shits his pants. Because Dude? Is serious. Dead serious. This guy thinks that an offhand remark during an obviously awkward situation is a clear indicator of reciprocated love. So awesome, because you can actually pinpoint the moment his tribe goes from "Voting Dude Out Because He Doesn't Do Shit" and "Dude Is Batshit Crazy. Restraining Order Necessary."

It's unfortunate, because I think a lot of people wrote this Survivor off because of the ratings ploy of the racially divided tribes, and they missed this totally unpromoted, but awesome scene. It's like a little gift from the editors for showing up.

I promise, it is way more awesome if you watch it. I'm sure it will be on the Soup, but you could probably catch it via YouTube.

Lazy Activism

If you are like me, and are civic-minded and interested in making your voice heard, but don't always have time to make protest placards and attend every protest for every cause you believe in, and also enjoy spending inordinate amounts of time on the internet, you might be interested in online action campaigns. There are several for progressive causes. Basically, they create letters/e-mails/faxes to your elected officials to let your voice be heard. They work, too. Code Pink for Peace caused chaos in Washington when they phone/fax bombed senators and congressmen/women on a specified day in 2004. Anyway, here are some I frequent:

MoveOn's campaigns are progressive and political and call for change in our current government.

National Resources Defense Council covers all things environmental.

The Human Rights Campaign works for equal rights for the GLBT community.

Amnesty International works to prevent human rights' violations around the world.

Media Mentions

Several media sources/comments of note:

Mother Jones' current newstand issue is their 30th anniversary issue, and it rocks. There are awesome articles about voting fraud and disenfranchisement, immigration, Iraq, and Guantanamo. There's also a funny-but-scary retrospect on predictions made over the years about where our country is/was heading.

Yes! Magazine is a progressive, ad-free magazine that focuses on positive changes in our society, published quarterly. Teachers can get free one-year subscriptions. The latest issue is on health care, namely a call for universal, single-payer health care. There are a lot of critics of single-payer health care, but American's health care costs more than any other country in the world, yet we are nowhere near the top as far as health of citizens or quality of care. More Americans are currently uninsured or underinsured that ever before, yet pharmceutical companies are experiencing record profits. Fucked up. Online, if you want it.

The Amazing Race started last night. Awesome, as usual, except for the fact that the team of two Muslim men and the Hindu couple were eliminated first and second. I was looking forward to some diversity, but I can't help but think that conservatives who believe in "Islamofascism" cheered when the Muslims were first to sequesterville, and that made me sad. TAR is such a strong contrast to the backstabbing, conniving, disgusting display of humanity that is Big Brother, specifically Big Brother All-Stars. If any of you watched the finale of that show, I'm pretty sure that it was last week's sign that the apocalypse is upon us. TAR actually makes their people, you know, hustle and work hard using their own skills and talents to stay on the show, not sleep with people, "showmance", or showcase other, um, talents (Mike Boogie, I'm looking at you, you chauvanistic, superficial, shallow, washed-up, has-been, played-out, coattail-riding, no-talent ass clown. I'm pretty sure if I ever ran into you on the street, I would, honest to God, punch you in the taint and then spit on you. Uppercut, bitch.)

I also, via YouTube, caught up with Weeds' second season. Hands down, the best comedy on TV. Period. Awesome writing, awesome storylines, awesome satire, awesome acting. Justin Kirk AND Kevin Nealon? As stoners? So freaking sweet I can't believe it. If you don't believe me, get on YouTube, search "weeds" and "masturbation" and check out that video. I dare you. Unfortch, while I taught myself to knit (inspired by Sha-Na-Na-Na) and watched Weeds, I decided to follow by checking out Season Three of Laguna Beach. I'm not even going to say anything about that show other than I am glad my students aren't rich and I got dumber by watching it. I unlearned how to knit and had to reteach myself, all in one day, because my brain almost exploded from hearing the words "like," "dude," and "random" eight million times.

A Haiku for 9/11

One of my students turned this set of haikus in to my student teacher today.

Going to the club
dressed in drag shakin' my thang
daddy isn't proud

Standing in the street
pulling up my pantyhose
god this chafing sucks

Went into his room
selling my hidden secret
Guess what's in my pants

Have to make money
to get my operation
I need a new vag.


Well, I guess they are about nature, in a roundabout way.

Bastard People

One of my greatest kids, a girl who undoubtedly will go far (and a baller soccer player), sat down and talked to me today about racism. Apparently, she joined a new club soccer team this year, and the girls, the vast majority of whom are upper-middle to upper class, all of whom are white, have repeatedly proved themselves to be racist and homophobic. This girl is part Filipino and totally an Ally. Some girls on her team refer to her as Mexican and tell her "I'm going to take away your green card". They use words like "nigger" "spick" and "faggot" in everyday conversations.
This took me aback for several reasons: one, it's 2006, assholes; two, I'm so used to the diversity of our school, where if you dropped a racial slur such as those listed above, somebody is bound to kick your ign'ant ass and everyone has friends of different colors; three, even if you are from lily-white St Charles or a cracker private school, isn't your racism supposed to be more...covert? and four, you are claiming to be an elite female athlete and you are homophobic? I'm not trying to perpetuate stereotypes, but you better be down with some lesbians if you are going to play a sport in college, because you are bound to play with a few.
I don't think it's from being sheltered. My parents never knew brown people their whole lives until I was in grade school, pretty much, and if I would have said "nigger," et al, my mom would have beat my ass. You don't have to live in diversity to value it, along with tolerance and understanding. I just don't understand how teens today, living in a culture where so much art and entertainment, including sports and the media, is a forum for diversity. I'm not naive--I know racism exists. Like Avenue Q says, everyone's a little bit racist. But I thought it was in smaller pockets, less overt, and certainly not as blatently ignorant as what my student is facing. What's frustrating is that she feels as though she is fighting a losing battle. She desperately wants to take a stand and put some learning on their asses, but she's new to the team and is already fighting alienation. She has the typical need to belong that most teenagers have, but she's smart enough to know that silence is compromising who she is. I want to call her mom--only because I know her mom will kick some ass, but my student really wants to handle it herself. She needs the team to reach her soccer goals, but she knows that this intolerance makes her character fundamentally different from these girls, and doubts as if her one voice will change these girls. My other kids, of course, want to just kick their asses and be done with it, but that obviously won't solve any problems. I kind of want her to be able to have an awesomely snarky retort for everything ignorant they could say, but even if she outwitted them at every turn, there would be no one around to appreciate her snark. Because it would be awesome if, after they referred to her as "Mexican", she referred to them as "Spoiled, oblivious, morally bankrupt, repressed future lesbians" (which I'm fairly certain at least a few of them are) but they wouldn't get it. We're brainstorming solutions, many of which involve my kids rolling up melting-pot style and being super-nice to all of the girls to to fuck with them, or t-shirts with awesome tolerance-supporting phrases. If you have any solutions, let me know.